


If You Were in These Arms

by RogerTaylorsCar



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Drama, Break Up, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2020-10-11 18:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20551007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogerTaylorsCar/pseuds/RogerTaylorsCar
Summary: You're pregnant with Roger's baby, but sometimes things don't work out as planned. Sometimes you find more support in your best friend than the child's father. But what if that turns out not to be as bad as it seems?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it's about time I write a series, so here you go! This story is going to be very angsty and drama-filled with some fluff in between. Hope you enjoy this! Updates will be slow because of school, but I'll try to post a chapter every two weeks or something, depending on how busy I am
> 
> My tumblr is @roger-taylors-car if you have questions, suggestions or just wanna talk

"Um… Rog?" you croaked out, looking up at your boyfriend. "I need to tell you something."

He nodded and went to put an arm around your shoulder, but you scooted away, folding your hands in your lap as you tried to avoid his eyes. You sorted your thoughts for a moment before you found a way to start the conversation. "What's your opinion on kids?"

Roger laughed, making you frown and blink back the tears that were just welling up in your eyes. "Well, what about it? I mean, I don't want any but- Is that all?" He raised his eyebrows.

You swallowed hard and shook your head. "Roger, I'm pregnant," you whispered, barely audible. "And… I-I'd like to keep it…"

The expression on his face changed immediately. He clenched his jaw and inhaled sharply, grabbing a fistful of his hair. "Whose is it?" His voice was dangerously quiet and you could tell he didn't want to start a family with you.

"Yours of course! Damn it! Who else?!" You wanted to yell at him, but your voice cracked at any attempt to speak.

Roger glared at you and stood up, grabbing his jacket from the coat hook beside the door. You were afraid to ask, but you had to know what he was planning to do. He couldn't just leave you. Not now when you were already so emotionally unstable. "Roger? W-where are you going?"

Without a reply, he violently slammed the door behind him, leaving you alone on your bed. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, you picked up your phone and keys before leaving to go to Brian, your best friend whom you could trust with anything - hopefully with this too. You didn't know what you would do if you couldn't. As you arrived there, you rang the doorbell and a disheveled Brian opened the door. He gave you a sleepy smile, but it soon dropped when he noticed the sad look on your face and let you inside. "Good evening, (y/n)," he mumbled, motioning for you to sit on the couch.

"Evening." You didn't realize it was so late already and you almost felt sorry for waking Brian up at this time of day, but it was important and you needed to talk to someone about your situation.

Brian sat down next to you, asking carefully, "What's wrong?"

"Please tell me you won't freak out," you blurted out, feeling the tears coming back.

"Hey… I won't be mad at you, I promise," he reassured you as he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you slightly closer. You didn't object to it. "Whatever it is."

You turned to face him, looking directly into his hazel eyes. "I'm pregnant." Those words were much easier to say to Brian than to Roger, though you had previously thought it would be vice versa. But that was the time you believed Roger would support you just like you supported him...

To your surprise, his entire face lit up at the news, breaking your heart even more when you recalled Roger's reaction and compared it to Brian's. While Roger left in anger without talking to you, Brian was so happy that you were sure anyone who didn't know your background could have thought Brian was the father - which wasn't actually the case. "Oh my God, (y/n)! That's amazing!" he exclaimed, a wide smile on his face as he hugged you tightly. You couldn't not return it. At least somebody was happy for you...

"Yeah, I guess," you murmured, nervously chewing on your bottom lip. You weren't embarrassed. You weren't some random groupie after all. Hell, you were Roger's girlfriend for two years and you even lived together with him - until now.

Brian pulled away and frowned, his hands still resting on your shoulders. "Why are you so sad then?"

"It's Roger."

"What about him?" He pushed a strand of hair behind your ear, concern evident in his eyes.

You gulped, wiping a few tears on your sleeve. "H-he wasn't too happy about it… In fact, he left wordlessly."

Brian ran his hand through his hair, tugging on it before he grabbed his mobile and dialed Roger's number. "For fuck's sake, Rog!" he shouted into the speaker, causing you to jump.

_"What do you want?"_

"First of all, how dare you? I have (y/n) here with me and she's crying because of you! Why the fuck did you just leave her? Why can't you be happy for her for once? You know it's your child as well."

_"You have to understand me! I'm fucking 22 and I wanna live my life! I just can't do that when I have a kid!"_

"You think she doesn't?" he said defensively through gritted teeth.

_"She's ruining my life with this shit, Bri."_

Brian was so close to blowing up at this comment, but he reminded himself that you probably didn't need any more drama tonight, so he just dropped it. It was no use fighting with Roger - he was too stubborn. He sighed and rubbed circles on your arm in an attempt to soothe you as his anger toward his friend grew continuously. "So are you… breaking up with her?" It hurt him to say these words out loud because the one thing he'd never wanted by any means was your heart to get broken.

_"I need some time off."_

After that, he hung up and you immediately buried your face in Brian's shoulder. "What did he say?" you whispered shakily.

The brunette swallowed hard and stroked your hair. "He said he needed some time off."

"So he's leaving me," you repeated, starting to sob into his shirt.

No reply. Brian didn't want to confirm your statement, but you both knew what Roger was trying to say. To you, the most hurtful thing was that he didn't even tell _you_, but _Brian_ that he's breaking up with you.

So you remained in each other's arms for a while, Brian slowly rubbing your back and pressing kisses to your hair. He felt the urge to cry, yet he had to be strong for you or else both of you would fall apart. Your tears were soaking his shirt, but he couldn't care less about it. He had to focus on working out some kind of solution. Plan A was, of course, to try and get you and Roger back together, but that wasn't easy at all. Roger had grown to be a heartbreaker over the years and though he'd been happy with you, he seemed to have gotten bored with you all of a sudden. Plan B was to try and make the best out of your current situation. All your friends were close to Roger, so Brian was the only confidant you had now and he wanted to give you everything he could.

"(Y/n)?" he said softly, pulling away when you calmed down a little. "Would you like to move in with me for a while? Until you know more about Roger's plans, that is... No pressure, of course-"

You cut him off by wrapping your arms around him, almost squeezing the air out of him. "Thank you Bri," you mumbled. "You're the best."

He smiled and patted your back. "I love you," you then added, causing Brian to instinctively hold you closer.

Brian knew you meant it one hundred percent platonic, but unbeknownst to you, whenever you told him you loved him - which had happened many times in the six years you'd been friends -, there was a little spark of hope that maybe you could get together someday, even though he knew you were with Roger. He felt terrible for it, but that teeny tiny egoistic part inside of him was relieved that your boyfriend broke up with you. Though, the vast majority of him hated seeing you so devastated and helpless. It broke his heart and he wished he could make you feel better. All he'd ever wanted was to keep you safe from any harm and now he failed at his mission to make sure you're happy. He'd always managed to do that, but he didn't quite know how to fix your current situation yet.

None of your previous fights with Roger had ended like this. You had always found a way to work it out, but this time your boyfriend left you because you were pregnant and you thought there were no excuses to be made. He showed who he really was and that he didn't truly care about you. If he did, he would have accepted your decision and supported you. Still, it was impossible to let him go. Even after this, a part of you still loved him and you felt like that wouldn't change anytime soon. It was too hard to forget him after being in a fairly stable and happy relationship for the past two years.

Brian was probably even more furious than you - if that was even possible. The difference was that you were rather sad and devastated while Brian was raging. Roger was his best friend, but at the moment he just wanted to punch him. How could he hurt his own girlfriend like this? And how dare he say you were ruining his life? You deserved better. Someone who would take care of you. Someone who would support you. Someone who had genuine feelings for you. Someone who would do anything for you. Someone like Brian.

"Love you too," he mumbled and kissed your head when he got out of his trance. "I'll be there for you. Forever."

"Can I stay the night?" Your voice was muffled and barely above a whisper.

"Of course you can, sweetheart. You know where my bedroom is."

"Bri, I can sleep on the couch-"

"No, you've had a long day. It's fine. I take the couch and I won't argue about that," he retorted, giving you a serious but gentle look that told you it's no use contradicting.

You nodded and he pulled you up from the sofa before leading you to his room. "But… if I live here, do you always sleep on the couch?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Brian scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… in theory, the bed is large enough for two, but y'know, privacy…" As he trailed off, he noticed he was probably making you feel uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "God, I'm so sorry!"

You laughed weakly, plopping down on the bed. "No hard feelings."

"We'll figure something out, but don't worry for now."

You looked up at him and gave him a small smile - probably the first genuine that night. "Good night."

"Good night, (y/n). Tell me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a way to start the weekend! First I'd like to thank you guys for reading this story and leaving kudos/commenting/bookmarking!! It means the world to me. I might not be able to post future parts of this fic for the next two weeks because I'm going to Italy from September 23 - 27 and I still have to pack my things oops. Anyway, here's the second chapter of what I think is going to be one of the best things I've written. Enjoy!

After spending most of your time at Brian's flat, you officially moved in with him a week later. Roger didn't seem to mind - at least he was never home when you and Brian went to get your things. You had texted him earlier that you would move out if he didn't make up his mind. He'd left you on read. During the day you mostly stayed with Brian, so you didn't see him then. At night you were in Roger and your apartment and he wasn't there either. You figured he may have gone back to his mother in Cornwall or avoided you by temporarily living with one of his friends.

"No no no no, I'll carry that," Brian called, running up to you as he saw you lifting your weekender bag out of his car.

"Bri, it's just a bag." You frowned, shaking your head with a laugh.

"You're pregnant," he insisted and took it from you. "Don't want anything to happen to the baby."

"It's only my fifth week."

"Look, I don't wanna be rude to you, but shut up. I only want the best for you and the little one, you know?" _The little one._ Brian saying that with this tiny open mouthed smile was so cute. It sounded like he was actually excited for your child - as if it were his. You wished its real father would have showed this much enthusiasm...

You couldn't resist his puppy eyes, so you gave in, even though you didn't think it was that big of a deal. It wasn't like you wanted to carry that heavy suitcase that was still in the trunk. Nonetheless, you genuinely appreciated the sweet gesture and helped him hold the doors open as he moved your belongings upstairs to his apartment on the third floor. An hour and some bickering about whether or not you would be physically able to unpack your things later, everything was finally in the living room and the two of you were proud to have pulled through with your plan. A new life section was going to begin now and though still heartbroken and a bit scared, you were looking forward to it.

"Welcome home," Brian grinned, stretching his arms out for you.

The sound of those words made you realize this was your home now. This was the place you were going to come back to after work. You were going to come home to _Brian_ every day for God knows how long. You had a strange feeling in your stomach at the thought. He'd been your closest friend for six years now, but moving in with him? Wasn't that a step too far? You didn't have to share a room because you went to college together or anything and technically, you were still in a relationship with someone else. Could that be considered cheating? Roger had always been a jealous guy… But why should that matter, anyway? He'd literally broken up with you and what you were doing with your life was none of his business now.

You smiled back and walked towards him, pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you. For everything."

"You know I'm always there for you," he said softly, holding you close. You knew immediately you could get used to this.

Neither you nor Brian had heard from Roger since the phone call. You figured Roger's "time off" would last a bit longer and he didn't seem to want you back, even after almost six weeks. It was extremely difficult to cope with the breakup in addition to your unplanned pregnancy, but you were also glad you didn't have to live with him anymore and Brian was always by your side, helping you the best he could. Despite you telling him not to sacrifice his free time for you, he avoided staying away for too long to make sure you weren't alone all the time because what if something happened while he was gone? In fact, you weren't alone that much because you spent most of the day working at that small boutique downtown and you rarely got home earlier than Brian. Still, he tried to keep parent-teacher conferences as short as possible, so he wouldn't come home too late.

Sometimes you even got the feeling he cared more about you in those few weeks than Roger had in two years, which was really heartbreaking, considering he had been your long-term boyfriend and Brian was only your best friend. But now you realized that his love - even if not romantically - was beginning to be worth more than Roger's, seeing as you and Brian had been inseparable since college and you always had each other's back, no matter what.

Soon you had your first doctor's appointment and you didn't want to go alone, so Brian offered to come with you for emotional support. You were furious when you found out he had cancelled an afternoon class for the appointment, but you secretly found his input cute. He assured you it wasn't a huge problem and the students wouldn't mind at all. You didn't quite believe him since he'd only been working at this school for a year and a half and you doubted he'd have the liberty to skip classes to randomly go to the doctor with a friend. Then again, it was almost impossible to change his mind, so you just let him.

"Bri, I'm nervous," you whispered as the two of you waited for the doctor.

Brian gave you a reassuring smile and took your hand in his. "I know, but I'm here with you, don't worry. I mean, I can leave later if you do feel uncomfortable-"

You quickly shook your head, chewing on your bottom lip. "No, you stay here."

"Okay," he agreed and you both stood up when Dr. Barnick walked in.

"Are you the father?" the doctor asked Brian after he greeted you.

"Oh, actually-"

"Yes," Brian blurted out, immediately regretting it afterwards. Couldn't he just shut the fuck up and let you talk? His damn job was to drive you and wait until you could go home. He didn't even have to say anything in the meantime. God, he was so stupid. Sure, he wished the baby was his, but why did he say he's the father when actually, he was only your friend? He wasn't even close to being your boyfriend, let alone a father figure for your child. He would never be that to you.

When you got back to the car after the appointment, Brian started apologizing to you immediately after he closed the door. "(Y/n), I'm so fucking sorry for telling him I'm the dad! I don't know why I said that, it just felt so… Nevermind. Believe me, it didn't mean anything!"

"Brian, please," you interrupted him, placing your hand on his, which was wrapped tightly around the driving wheel. "No need to apologize. It's okay." To his surprise, a small smile tugged at your lips and you subconsciously stroked his knuckles with your thumb. Before Brian could fully comprehend it, you stopped and folded your hands in your lap as you noticed him staring down at your hand. He looked up at the loss of contact, silently wishing you'd kept doing that. It didn't take him long to get back to the main problem, though.

"I just feel so dumb, y'know? Dr. Barnick thinks I'm the father, but first, that's not true, second, do you know how stupid it would sound if we told him otherwise at your next appointment, third, I can't answer questions about genetic diseases and stuff, fourth-"

You rolled your eyes and put a finger on his lips, knowing there was no other way to shut him up in this moment. Brian's breath hitched in his throat and he forgot how to speak, looking at you with wide eyes. "Hey, don't worry. We'll just carry on with it. I mean, how likely is it that Roger returns and everything comes out? You just continue pretending to be my boyfriend for when we go to the doctor and we don't have to explain anything, okay?"

_Pretending to be my boyfriend…_ Hearing that made Brian's heart sink, though he felt lucky to act like a couple with you, even if it would just be to avoid complications once or twice a month, but it was better than nothing, right? It was the closest he'd ever get to dating you. He knew the only reason you suggested doing that was because it was convenient and maybe you didn't want to feel embarrassed because you were literally going to be a single mum. Brian wouldn't be able replace a father, even if he tried. Something would always be missing. The child wouldn't grow up with its biological dad and its "parents" - if you could even call that - wouldn't actually be together. He would only be your best friend who happens to live with you and occasionally help you with everyday things or function as a babysitter. Nothing more.

You didn't pull away until a couple of seconds later. Brian didn't tell you to either. There was a comfortable silence and for some reason you couldn't help but wonder what these soft lips would feel like on yours… Blame it on the hormones, but this was so wrong. You shouldn't even think about it! Not when you'd just gone through a messed up breakup and still hadn't fully recovered from it. You shouldn't consider starting another relationship - most of all not with your best friend. You weren't ready yet and you certainly didn't want to make him feel like he was only second best. He didn't deserve that.

Brian finally nodded and you drew your hand away before he started the car. "Let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long has it been since I updated this fic? September? At least I'm back now with a new chapter for you guys! Sorry I left you hanging for so long and I feel bad for saying there probably won't be another update until July or so because I have to study for tons of exams.

"Sorry Robin, I'm in a hurry," Brian apologized as he scrambled to collect his folders and books. "Is it urgent?"

The boy shook his head. "No no, it's fine! It's only about the trip to the planetarium in two weeks."

Brian gave him a smile as he swung his bag over his shoulder. "Good. You can ask me about it on Monday before class, okay?"

"Okay, no problem. Have a nice weekend, Mr May!" The student waved and rushed out of the classroom.

He felt guilty for cutting him off, but Robin didn't seem to be mad at him. He was lucky his students accepted that teachers have a private life too. Besides, he really was in a hurry - for you. And he had something special planned for today. He got into the car and made his way to your boutique to pick you up. You usually only worked until four in the afternoon on Fridays, so you still had enough time for Brian's little programme.

"(Y/n), your boyfriend's here," your co-worker chirped from behind the counter once he entered the store.

It broke his heart to see your head shoot up, probably hoping Roger would be standing in front of you, but eventually finding it was Brian who she had just called your boyfriend. You said you had moved on, but he could tell from the look in your eyes every time somebody mentioned your ex or something reminded you of him that you hadn't.

Every photo of the two of you in happier times, every Instagram post he had tagged you in, every place you walked by on your way to work where you'd used to hang out together, even listening to 'Make You Feel My Love' - your song - made you think of him, thus reminding Brian once again he couldn't stand a chance. Even if Roger was out of your life, he wasn't out of your heart. He never would be. You were too attached to him and he honestly couldn't blame you. It wasn't right of him to be jealous, but he really wished he'd taken his chance back then before you'd gotten together with Roger. He would never have broken your heart like this, but now it was too late. Too late to make everything alright and save you from all this pain.

It wasn't like you never talked to Brian about it; he tried to help whenever he could, but some things you had to work out yourself. He knew it wasn't easy to get over your child's father over the course of only three months, yet he was always solicitous of arranging this time as good as possible for you. When his work schedule allowed it he took you to do fun stuff or just stayed at home with you to take care of you when you weren't feeling well.

"He's not my boyfriend, Vera," you mumbled while grabbing your coat and bag. Your intention was to sound annoyed, but you couldn't help the small smile that was only getting wider the more you tried to suppress it. He found it adorable. Even if the reason you were smiling wasn't exactly the one he wished for, you were still happy to see him and that was enough.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, he approached you with an excited grin. "Ready?"

You tilted your head and pursed your lips. "For what?"

"Actually, I had a little plan you might like…"

You whined. "Bri! Just tell me, what is it?"

"You're ruining the fun!" He chuckled and offered you his arm. "Do you want to go shopping?"

Your face lit up and you nodded quickly as if he would change his mind if you had left him waiting two seconds longer. It really was special to you because Brian hated shopping - like every man except Freddie and Roger. Over the past years, you had always tried - and failed - to get Brian to go shopping with you, so how could you refuse any opportunity to buy new clothes, especially if he suggested it himself without being forced to do so?

"Knew it," he laughed, making his way outside with you on his arm.

You stopped and looked up at him, suspicion in your eyes. "Wait, there must be some ulterior motive for sure…"

He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Maybe so?"

You shot him a fake glare and continued walking when he replied, "Nothing bad, I promise. I just thought because you start showing and you complain about your shirts getting tighter sometimes that you might want to buy new things?"

"Well, you thought right! Thank you!" You gratefully squeezed his arm, pressing your cheek against it.

"I'll pay, of course," Brian added, trying to hold back a smirk because he knew how you'd react. No matter what you'd say, he'd definitely pay. Just like the many times he'd taken you to the cinema or to Pizza Hut and you'd insisted on paying for yourself, but he'd ended up doing it while you hadn't been around.

"Do that and I'll punch you," you joked, nudging his side as you made your way to H&M. The thirty minute walk seemed much shorter with all the friendly banter and chatting about your respective day at work. Somehow your hands were linked a couple of minutes later by the time Brian looked down and noticed, but kept quiet about it. He enjoyed it too much.

Though disappointed at the loss of contact, he grinned and let go of your hand as the two of you entered the store. "Go crazy."

You immediately ran towards the maternity section. You were pretty sure he let go of you because he didn't want to be dragged through the entire store by you. Once Brian caught up, he stood by your side, leaning against a buttress and watching you adoringly. Mumbles of approval escaped your mouth as you grabbed yet another piece of clothing.

It was moments like this that he cherished the most. Just doing everyday things with you and still seeing you so happy about the smallest things despite the overall circumstances. He thought it had been too long since you'd been like this around him. Even when you had been with Roger, Brian had always stayed your best friend, but most of these seemingly irrelevant moments you had shared with your boyfriend. Although he was also friends with Roger, he was a pretty jealous guy and Brian had been too afraid to do things with you that might have given the wrong impression, so every friend-date had been very lowkey to avoid getting into trouble. He was happy he had you back now.

"I sure hope these are only the ones you try on," he teased, smirking as he took two pairs of jeans and a white lace dress from you, though you still had at least ten more items on your left arm.

You playfully swatted his arm with your free hand and continued hunting for clothes. "I'm the one who pays, you know?"

_No, you aren't._ Brian wanted to let you believe you were going to pay until later when actually, he'd take his credit card out before you could open your purse.

He laughed and shook his head before following you to the changing rooms. Sitting on the bench in front of them, he waited for you to come out with the clothes you'd taken with you. Whenever you presented something to him, he rated it from one to ten. Most of the clothes ranged between eight and ten and he knew this was going to be expensive, but you were worth it. If he couldn't give you the emotional and physical support you needed, he wanted to give you something material to make up for it.

"Hey, you need a nursing bra?" he asked casually while looking through the lingerie section.

"A what?" You drew back the curtain and stepped out, walking over to Brian.

He held it up against his own chest. "Looks sexy, doesn't it?"

You gave him an annoyed look, though holding back a giggle was a challenge. He laughed and put it away, exploring the rest of the section. "Okay, but this one actually looks good!" he said, showing you a blue lace bra. "It should be the right size too," he added.

"How do you know my bra size?" You gave him a shocked look.

He smirked. "Truth or dare. Freddie's 21st birthday party."

"You're impossible."

"You were drunk," he defended himself. "Oh, and here's the matching slip!" His grin had grown even more more impudent, overshadowing his blush.

"Why should I even buy this? No one's gonna see it anyway."

"That's the point. But you'll see it and apparently you'll feel better. Or at least that's what I've heard, I don't know." He shrugged.

"Alright," you sighed and returned to the changing room, the lingerie set in your hand. Maybe you'd tell him it was the wrong size and he'd leave you alone.

But when you did actually try the bra on, you decided to keep it. Perhaps Brian was right about it making you feel better. Anyway, you were going to buy it, even if you couldn't make a boyfriend happy with it. "(Y/n)? Everything okay?" Brian called and you quickly changed into your normal clothes again.

"Yup, don't worry!"

After your big shopping hunt, you brought quite a lot of new clothes home. A couple of new t-shirts, flared jeans, bleached ripped jeans, a red jumpsuit, a white lace dress, blue denim shorts, a peach ruffle midi dress, a black pencil skirt, over the bump leggings, a sweater with 'baby in progress' printed on it, a cream colored smocked dress, a pastel green chiffon dress, the blue lace lingerie set and a white maxi dress with blue floral pattern and butterfly sleeves - Brian's personal favorite. Those were the things you knew of.

While you had been trying the lingerie set on, he'd picked a black dress with small white dots for you and when you went to bed a bit earlier he spent the evening connecting the dots to draw the constellations on it. He planned on giving it to you the next time you'd go out somewhere fancy - something you'd always used to do just for fun and hadn't stopped doing until now. He was sure you'd look gorgeous in it and he hoped you'd like this gift, even if maybe his favorite constellation - Orion - being right where your baby bump would be was a little too sentimental.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter, but the next one will be fluffy. Might be my last update on this fic for a while because of school.

The following week there was plenty to talk about in Mr May's class. One of his students had seen him at Topshop with what she supposed was his girlfriend while going there herself after school and of course she had to tell everyone about it. The new information spread like wildfire and before Brian set foot in the classroom, one third of the school seemed to already know about what he'd done last Friday afternoon.

"Mr May's girlfriend is pregnant!"

"He's got a girlfriend?!"

"Kinda sad, really. I mean, he's not ugly…"

Brian walked in at the height of the discussion about their teacher's apparently so interesting private life and the students' heads immediately turned towards him when they heard the familiar sound of his clogs that somehow never looked unfashionable paired with the outfits he wore. He was very confused to hear his name multiple times as his pupils were usually on their phones or talked about their own lives before class.

"Mr May! I saw you and your girlfriend at Topshop on Friday," Madison exclaimed, not even giving him a chance to ask what all the fuss was about in the first place.

"What?" Brian gave her a puzzled look as he tried to think of what to reply. He had so many questions already. "My girlfriend?"

"In the maternity section!"

He tried to play it off with a joke to stop them from making more assumptions so he could finally start the lesson and avoid more personal questions. "Okay, but what are you doing in the maternity section?"

"Hey, I was just walking by! She's really pretty, by the way!" she added with a wide smile, having quickly forgotten about the teasing.

Another one spoke up. "So you're gonna be a dad?"

"A what?" Brian understood what the boy said, but this escalated quickly.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because we're not even dating!" he whined in frustration.

"Then why is she pregnant?" Robin wiggled his eyebrows.

"I'm not the only man on earth who's able to get someone pregnant, you know?"

"But why is it _you_ who's going shopping for maternity clothes with her?"

Brian buried his face in his hands, hiding behind his briefcase. "Guys!"

"We just… we feel personally hurt that you didn't tell us you were going to be a dad. You can trust us, you know?" Madison feigned a hurt look, placing a hand on her chest.

She was right, actually. Normally he was casual to talk to when it came to non-school related stuff and that's what made him so popular among his students, but this time there was nothing to tell them about since the whole thing was just a misunderstanding. Neither was he dating you nor was he going to be a dad. He should probably clear things up before the rest of the school would also find out about this new discovery. The last thing he needed was congratulations from his colleagues...

Brian lifted his head a bit and the entire class was staring at him, waiting for the long awaited answers to the dozens of questions they'd asked him all at once. He sighed and stood up to sit on his desk. "You wanna hear the whole story?"

"Yes!" they all called in unison.

"Alright, so first of all she's only a friend, believe me, nothing more. And no, I'm not the father. The real dad left her when he found out she's pregnant."

"Ouch. What a dick!"

He didn't have the nerve to tell her to watch her language and besides, she was right. Roger was a dick. "Yeah. She came to me afterwards and I offered her to live with me for a while. It's not like I'm a substitute for her ex, I'm just here to support and help her. And I only took her shopping because I'm trying to make this already pretty difficult time as good as possible for her," he finished, shrugging.

There was a pause as everyone had expected a longer story. "That's cute, but do you like her?"

"As my best friend whom I've known for six years, yes," he lied.

"Liar!" Madison intervened. "I saw how you looked at her!"

Brian gave her glare. He knew how he had looked at you, but he didn't have to be reminded of that when this situation was already awkward enough.

"I think you need some tips on how to get her to like you back," yet another girl chirped. "It sounds like you're on the right track, now it's all about body language and giving hints…"

He couldn't believe his tenth graders were giving him flirting instructions. It was kind of embarrassing and he didn't really know how to feel about this, but he silently appreciated how much they cared about him, even if they had more useful things to do, for example catching up on some subject material.

Brian's hands got sweaty when they brought some date ideas up. He'd been wanting to ask you out for a couple of weeks. He just wasn't sure what would be the best option that wouldn't be too cheesy, but also couldn't be seen as a friend date. He wanted it to be romantic, but not too overwhelming for you. One of the suggestions was a picnic in the park and he really liked that one. Maybe you could combine it with stargazing…

"Does she like rom-coms?"

"Hm? Yeah, some of them."

"How about a movie night then? With popcorn and blankets and everything, you know? Can be pretty romantic if you've got the right atmosphere and films."

Brian nodded and smiled a bit. The long conversation was worth it, he couldn't deny that. He kept the students' ideas in the back of his head to use in the future.

They were almost done when someone else suggested going on a weekend trip, which sparked an idea in Brian. He'd read so-called babymoons were a popular thing to do in the sixth month of a pregnancy and perhaps that could be his chance to make you fall in love with him too...

"Okay, thank you all for your support, but as soon as I get diaper cakes, we really need to talk," he ended the topic before finally starting his long overdue lesson.

Admittedly, they were right about him secretly having feelings for you, though he always tried his best to hold them back. Apparently, he didn't seem to be very good at that, but wouldn't you have already noticed if his crush on you had been so obvious?

What he wouldn't have given to confirm the rumours that you were his girlfriend… Then again, he preferred not to get himself into more trouble after telling your gynecologist he was the baby daddy. He didn't want to pressure you into another relationship so shortly after the one with Roger. After all, he was also there to help you get over him and you surely didn't need him to be the next in line to break your heart.

Meanwhile you had to undergo a similar interrogation at work. "Isn't he your boyfriend?" Vera asked, frowning.

"No, he's not," you groaned, throwing your head back as you dressed a mannequin. "Roger was my boyfriend before he broke up with me three months ago."

"But you did move in with… Brian, I think his name was?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we're together. He's just my best friend and since I moved out of the flat I shared with Roger, I've been living with Bri," you explained, trying to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"Ooh, we're using nicknames now…" The other woman took a sip of water and pursed her lips. "So he's the surrogate dad?"

You didn't know what to reply. Brian was a surrogate dad in some way, but referring to him as such sounded strange. He was there for you in times when Roger wasn't and he helped you where he could. In the last months he had taken over Roger's role - or at least part of it -, so you guessed he was exactly what Vera said he was. Still, you didn't regard him as something like a dad. There was more to being a dad. It also meant having a much more intimate relationship and stronger bond with the mother-to-be, but Brian couldn't give you that in a way Roger possibly could have. You had no doubt he would treat the baby like his own, but he could never fully replace its biological father.

You nodded slowly. "Kind of, yes… But it's not like I'm in love with him. And neither is he," you added before she'd even consider saying something about him having feelings for you. Why did she have to be so forward with this subject?

"...yet," she finished with a grin and lightly patted your shoulder. "It will come, trust me."

"I really don't feel more for him, I swear," you protested.

"Whatever you say, dear. The look in his eyes told me he does feel more for you. Poor guy." She winked as if to tell you she knew you loved him, but you didn't.

And maybe she wasn't too wrong about that.


End file.
